By Zach Cooke
Spirit Competes with JetBlue in New Boston Expansion
Spirit Airlines announced a significant expansion in the carrier’s Boston presence. With five new routes announced in a press release, the Miramar, Fla.-based carrier aims to increase competition with the big three and JetBlue.
The airline will launch routes that will go head to head with American, Delta, JetBlue and United. Beginning June 7, Spirit will begin operating between Charlotte and Dallas/Fort Worth, with Los Angeles beginning July 5 and Houston along with Phoenix inaugurating on August 9.
While Boston is a hub for Delta and JetBlue, it is considered more of a focus city for American and has strong movements from United. The route to Los Angeles will have the strongest competition, with Spirit going head-to-head with the four carriers previously listed. Houston has the least competition, with only JetBlue and United currently operating to the Texas city. However, the other three routes will face direct competition from American, Delta, and JetBlue making Spirit the fourth airline to operate between Boston and the aforementioned cities.
All five routes are currently advertised to be operated by the carrier’s Airbus A320 aircraft.
John Kirby, Spirit’s Vice President of Network Planning is enthusiastic about the new announcement stating “It’s exciting to grow our service in Boston and provide new nonstop options to a variety of popular destinations across the country. We trust Bostonians will appreciate the great value and convenience we provide our Guests at such affordable prices.”
This announcement comes as the carrier is currently working to resolve the lawsuit that the United States Department of Justice had imposed on blocking the merger with JetBlue and Spirit. Currently, the two carriers only go head-to-head on 38 routes throughout their respective networks. All five of the announced routes will have Spirit competing directly with JetBlue out of Boston, marking a 13% increase in competition from the current 38 routes to 43 this upcoming August.
The carrier will also be welcoming a new aircraft to the fleet this summer. The first A321neo for Spirit will begin service between Fort Lauderdale and Chicago on June 7 according to Routesonline.
